The present invention relates to processed meat products, and more specifically to treating sausage casing in preparation for stuffing.
Processed meat products, such as sausage, are commonly stuffed into a casing, which forms the shape of the product. In the case of sausage, for example, the casing is tubular and is twisted closed at each end to form a generally cylindrical food product.
One type of casing is a natural casing that comes from the intestine of an animal, such as a pig. Natural casing is harvested during the rendering process and is thoroughly cleaned prior to shipment to the meat stuffing facility. During transport, the casing is commonly placed in a mesh bag and into a barrel filled with a brine solution to reduce the growth of bacteria on the casing. Prior to stuffing, the bag is removed from the brine solution and placed into a water bath to rinse to brine solution from the casing. The bag is then placed into an acid bath to further reduce bacteria count on the casings in the bag. The bag is then rinsed with a water solution to reduce the amount of acid on the casings. Finally, the bags are opened, and the casing are placed onto a stuffer for the stuffing operation.